Move to citizen-led board rejected,
Council accepts Stintz’s proposal to expand board
City council has delivered another blow to Mayor Rob Ford’s underground transit ambitions — and his mayoralty in general — by rejecting a bid to wrest control of the TTC board away from politicians.
But with another key transit vote expected March 21, it’s doubtful a new transit board that will eventually include some private citizens will buy much peace on the explosive TTC file.
In the latest dramatic skirmish in Toronto’s transit wars, five Ford loyalists who recently engineered the firing of TTC chief general manager Gary Webster lost their seats on the commission. Two who did not — councillors John Parker and Peter Milczyn — were retained, along with Maria Augimeri and
Stintz said council’s move provides the stability sought by the province.
chair Karen Stintz.
New faces are Scarborough councillors Raymond Cho and Glenn De Baeremaeker, as well as Josh Colle.
Ford, who declined to speak to reporters afterward, had pushed for a board made up solely of citizens who could offer expertise running transit.
But council adopted Stintz’s proposal to expand it to 11 members, including four citizens, from the current nine.
The four citizen members, to be paid a $5,000 annual honorarium plus $450 per monthly meeting, are to be added by the end of October.
In a separate vote, council named Stintz to carry on as chair, giving her 24 votes to 19 cast for Milczyn.
Stintz said later she was honoured to be kept in the role, and suggested Monday’s council decision provides the stability that was desired by the provincial government, the city’s major funding partner on transit.
“Now the province knows that we have a stable commission for the next two years,” she said. “The mayor has accepted that council makes decisions, and now the commission is in line with the will of council.”
The vote also sends a message to Ford that he has to work with council to make progress, said Councillor Joe Mihevc. “Work in consensus, you can make deals,” Mihevc said. “If you work with ‘my way or the highway,’ then you might find yourself continuing to be at the other end of the stick.”
Councillor Denzil Minnan-wong, one of the Ford loyalists who lost their TTC seats, said he was disappointed council decided on a pol- itician-dominated board.
“All I know is that I think the public is the loser today,” MinnanWong said. “We actually had an agreement at the TTC, supported by the chair, the vast majority of members and by the whole executive committee that we wanted to take the politics out.
“We wanted citizens who would give their time, knowledge and expertise, and we’ve actually taken a step backward. We are going to have seven — a vast majority — of politicians.”
Councillors who supported keeping elected representatives in the majority said it was the only way to ensure public accountability for the city’s $500 million subsidy of the TTC’S $1.5 billion operating budget. Two other proposals floated, both for a nine-member board, would either have eliminated politicians altogether or mixed five councillors with four citizens. “The issue becomes: What’s a better formula? I prefer a majority of members of council to citizens,” said Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, who blamed the mayor’s team on the TTC for costing taxpayers about $500,000 to buy out Webster’s contract.